Breaking Down Walls
by System Freeze
Summary: When Draco and Ginny get into a fight before the start of the school year, Dumbledore sentences them to a year of living together to end the feud. What's going to happen when they can't even be in the same room for five minutes without fighting? Trio's 7


**Breaking Down Walls**

Summary: When Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy get in a fight on the Hogwarts Train before the school year even has a chance to start, Dumbledore puts his foot down (literally) and demands that they end the feud that has been going on for centuries. In order to do that, though, they have to live together, alone, for an ENTIRE YEAR!

Rating: T in the first few chapters, M later on.

AN: Trio's Seventh Year, preHPB. Dumbledore LIVES ON!

Chapter One

How It All Began

"GINNY! WAKE UP! TIME TO GO!"

The roar of the loud-mouthed boy Ginny Weasley called a brother, who had so unceremoniously awakened her from precious sleep, was not the first thing she hoped to hear, see, or witness on any morning. However, ignoring it usually made her brother yell louder, so that the people in the rest of the solar system who hadn't heard him the first time got a glimpse of his impressively annoying voice. Grumbling, Ginny jerked up from her bed and glanced at the clock. Upon seeing the time, her eyes got big and she jumped out of bed, accidentally tripping on the trunk she had packed the night before that lay at the foot of her bed. With a startled yelp and a loud curse, she hit the floor. Seconds later, nursing a bruised elbow, she threw on the nearest set of clean clothes, muttered a few charms to make her appearance nice and clean, and began levitating her trunk down the stairs.

When she arrived downstairs, the chaos around her made her stop and blink while trying to take it all in. Ron was trying to float his trunk through the door while yelling at her to get up, and Harry was doing his best to avoid a collision with his best friend while grabbing last minute things for the ride. Her mum was bustling about busily while shoving a plate of breakfast at her to eat, and Hermione was waiting by the car impatiently, her look saying that if they were late that someone was going to get their ear chewed off.

_You gotta love family_, Ginny thought while scarfing down the food her mother had given her. She waited while Ron got his trunk into one of the muggle cars they had been given by the ministry, then followed after him and put hers in the trunk of the car. Hermione gave a sigh that might have meant finally, and got into the car while Harry, Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley came out of the house. Ron was about to get in the car when he looked back at Ginny and appeared to have an apoplectic fit on the spot.

"What are you WEARING!" he yelled.

Ginny looked down at her clothes in surprise as her brother turned an unappealing shade of red that really shouldn't exist with his red hair. She finally noticed what she had put on, and secretly she cringed at her brother's reaction, knowing that she should have saved the outfit for when he couldn't see it.

Her T-shirt, which was black with the words BAD GIRL in blood red letters, barely reached her belly button. It had crisscross laces down both sides from her underarms to the hem of the shirt, and the loose ends of black string dangled down to her jeans. Her low riders hugged her curves perfectly, and the glint of metal rings drew attention to her jean buttons where they were pierced through. Slits ran horizontally down her pants, giving small, tantalizing glimpses of flesh to anyone who looked closely. Groaning at her choice of clothes, Ginny knew Ron would demand she change, but there wasn't time.

Apparently, her mother was reading her mind. "Ronald, we don't have time for this! Ginny can change once she's on the train, but we have to get there on time to do that. So stop looking like you're going to explode, get in the car, and hush!"

Wisely shutting up in the face of his impatient mother, who was formidable even when she was only mildly irritated, Ron closed his mouth and got into the car with Hermione and Harry. However, his red ears still showed his violent objection to Ginny's choice of clothing, so she chose not to pester him about it. She'd already had a bad start today, and having dear Ronniekins acting like a mother hen was not on her agenda for the day. However, since Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in one car, with a Ministry of Magic Auror occupying both the driver and passenger's seat, that meant she was stuck with her mother and father for the ride to the train station. That meant having her ear chewed of by her _parents_ about her clothing choice. Groaning at the unfairness of this entire day, Ginny reluctantly climbed into the back seat of the second black ministry car and began reciting every piece of Hogwarts information she could remember to try and make the trip more bearable.

Her quest for peace and stability was unsuccessful, though. Her mother spent a good portion of the ride to the train station harping on her about her newly acquired taste in clothes that she had gotten from Katie Bell's younger sister, Nina Bell. Her current outfit had been a Christmas gift from said friend which, because it was a Christmas gift from a friend without a return receipt, her mother had been unable to return to the store the night after Ginny opened it. Needless to say, Molly Weasley was not thrilled with Nina's sense of style or her choice of clothes for Ginny.

Blocking her out as best she could, Ginny scrambled out of the car when it came to a stop, not looking where she was going. In her hurry, however, she slammed into a hard body and almost fell to the ground. Luckily for her, said brick-wall-of-a-person had fast enough reflexes to catch her. Horrified at her own clumsiness, Ginny began sputtering an apology as she looked up into a pair of stormy gray eyes that held a very faint amount of surprise. Upon recognizing the rest of the young man's features, Ginny's words died on her throat and she went stiff in the pair of well-muscled arms that held her around the waist.

Draco Malfoy was no less surprised than she to find out that the slim, nicely-developed young woman in the ravishing outfit that he was holding very close was none other than the youngest member of the Weasley clan. However, since he was in public and had been brought up to always be a gentleman to any woman in public, for the sake of appearances if nothing more, he merely murmured a few words of apology and welcome for her swift and embarrassed words of thanks and let her go gently. Making sure she had her balance, he turned to leave. He was halfway across the walkway to the entrance of the train station when he heard the tell-tale roar of Ron Weasley as he yelled, "What was the FERRET doing with his hands all over you, GINEVRA WEASLEY!"

He stiffened, but kept walking until he heard the reply that came out of the mouth of the, he had to admit, lovely looking young woman in question.

"That FERRET was the reason that I didn't fall headlong into the car that I'd just come out of, RONALD WEASLEY! And he wasn't _all over me_, as you put it! Even if he is an insufferable, slimy bastard, he still had the decency to help me and not drop me like a rat when he found out who it was he'd caught! So stop yelling at me before you really PISS ME OFF!" she shrieked, not caring that half the people walking to and from the station had stopped to watch her.

Interest and curiosity got the better of him, and Draco turned around to see the fiery redhead glaring up at her brother, her entire body radiating fury. The bloke was gaping at her like a fish out of water, and Draco felt a smirk form on his face. Then, having said her piece, the still furious Ginny stalked off, got a cart, and came back to get her stuff. By that time, Ron had recovered and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had stepped out of the car to begin berating both of them. Watching for a few seconds, Draco allowed his sense of satisfaction to deepen. This was going to be a good day after all. After allowing the thought and feeling to settle, he turned and headed for the train, smirk planted firmly on his face.

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Ginny practically ran for the Hogwarts Express once she was through the wall. The rush of fury and frustration she had felt when Ron had practically accused her of allowing _Draco Malfoy_ to fondle her in public had not abated. Her parents' scolding had only made it worse, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione knew to stay away from her when she was in one of these moods. The last time they hadn't listened to her warning, Ron had ended up with sticklers all over his body and Harry had endured a particularly nasty hex that caused him to start itching in unwanted areas whenever he tried to talk to her after that. Of course, her mother and father had fixed them both up, but they got the point. Hermione, being as smart as she was, had never messed with her when she was in a mood, seeing the resemblance to Molly Weasley right away. So Ginny stormed towards the train in a fury, and people wisely stayed out of her way. Anyone who was deaf, blind, and dumb could recognize a Weasley Temper when they saw it.

Once she boarded the train, she began searching for her two best friends, Colin Creevey and Nina Bell. She knew she wouldn't run into Ron and Hermione, because they had a prefects/Head Boy and Girl meeting in the front of the train. Harry would be staying in one of the back compartments, as per usual, and Nina and Colin liked to be in the middle, able to see almost everything that was going on by the people passing through the compartments. Heading for the twenty-third compartment, where they usually met, Ginny was relieved to find them already there. Putting her things in the carrier compartments above the seat, she sat down with a huff and let out a growl of frustration.

Coming to sit beside her, Nina said, "So, your family has once again managed to piss you off. But you still look great. That outfit you're wearing goes good with anger; makes you look sexy and tough as nails." When Nina was finished complimenting Ginny on her looks, and indirectly on her own sense of style for picking out the outfit and giving it to her in the first place, she looked at her seriously. "What happened this time?"

"Got up late. Threw on the outfit you gave me. Ron saw and had chickens on the spot, but I got to spend the whole ride with my mother lecturing me about my choice of clothing and friends. Then, I run into Draco Malfoy, who's actually nice and doesn't make me fall on my ass in public, and-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Colin interjects, looking mystified. "Draco Malfoy, son of Voldemort's favorite Death Eater, Scourge of your family and every Muggle and muggle-born witch and wizard out there, was _nice_ to you? What's he on and where can we get it to keep him comatose?"

Smiling slightly at Colin's choice of words, Ginny said, "Yes, he was nice. But then my brother goes and ruins my surprise by not-so-subtly asking me if I was letting Draco fondle me in public of my own free will, and I got irritated. So, that was the gist of my horrible day so far. Oh, and I broke it off with Riley the day before."

"Good," Nina and Colin said at the same time.

Neither of them had liked her boyfriend from fifth year much. Riley Drix had been a snobbish, jealous, butthead who didn't want any other guy looking at her, family excluded. He'd been controlling and accused her of cheating with Harry plenty of times. Despite her friends' advice, she'd stuck with him for a year to see if he'd change with time, and finally gotten tired of his crap. So, she dumped him the day before, and had burned all the letters he'd owled her after she did it.

Deciding to get away from that topic, she began to catch up with her friends on what had happened over the summer. Since the rise of Voldemort in her fourth year, owling across seas had not been permitted unless there were very extenuating circumstances, and none of them had been able to use the Floo Network. So Ginny allowed herself to be regaled by Colin's tales of life in the United States and how the witches and wizards there were much more insane than any in Britain. He even vouched that Voldemort would go crazy before trying to conquer the Americans, they were that nuts.

Besides being highly skeptical over Colin's claims of American life, Ginny was sucked into Nina's stories of Ireland and what had happened there. She said that the Irish had to be one of the coolest people about magic, and that she had seen so many "mythical" creatures there that she was sure that Ireland was where all magical creatures had originated. She also saw all of the ancient sites of the druids, and said that she was going to try and learn as much about magic and its influences on Ireland as she could. Besides that, she'd also met a cute guy there that she was currently dating and had apparently applied for a transfer to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to "broaden his magical learning and perspective." Nina told them that in Ireland the magically gifted could do wandless magic, but Ginny and Colin were hard pressed to believe her. They were still in a heated debate, laughing and teasing each other the entire time, when the door to their compartment flew open and in stepped Draco Malfoy, flanked by his bodyguards, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who looked more like Neanderthals than ever. They all stopped laughing at once, and stared at him with ill-concealed animosity.

He surveyed them slowly, a sneer ever present on his face. His Head Boy badge glinted when he turned, giving all of them a painful reminder that he was as of now off limits from most verbal and physical assaults. He had power, and a Malfoy was just the type of person to abuse it for his or her own gain.

Remembering what he had done for her earlier, and trying to avoid another conflict between anyone, Ginny said, "Hello, Malfoy. Did you need something?"

Nina and Colin, along with Crabbe and Goyle, looked at her in surprise and disbelief at her polite tone and the casualness with which she asked him the question. Draco, unfazed by what she said, just looked at her for a second, his eyes clearly saying 'did you, scum beneath my feet that you are, just talk to me?' Apparently, the look she sent back said yes, because he opened his mouth to reply.

"Yes, actually. I'm wondering if you can tell me who you stole that outfit from. Your family obviously wouldn't let you wear that, not that they could afford it anyway. I'd have to give the person my apologies for having to burn such nice clothing, but since you've contaminated it by wearing it, I think they'll fully understand my reasoning." His voice was smooth, with just the right amount of disgust and pity as to make Ginny forget all about what he'd done earlier. She had not been having a good day, and Draco Malfoy was making it that much worse.

Standing up from the chair she'd been sitting in, she hissed at him, "I will give you five seconds to leave this compartment, and only because you helped me this morning. After that, I will hex you to oblivion."

Smirking at her, he said, "Really, Weaslette, do you think I'm afraid of you. You're not smart enough to know more than a three-syllable word, and that with only an extremely large amount of brain power on your part. I suggest you sit down and shut up before I start docking points."

"One..." she growled through clenched teeth, eyes spitting fire at him.

Colin and Nina stood up, knowing that Ginny was getting pushed to her breaking point very fast. Colin moved to one side of her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off and gave him a look that caused him to flinch. Nina, not doing anything, just smirked at Draco with a look that said he was going to eat shit in four more seconds.

"Sit down, Weaslette. I can't use any simpler terms, so you'll have to try and comprehend English for a little while. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to, seeing how stupid your brothers are. It runs in the family, I see."

"Two...three..." Ginny's body was beginning to vibrate at the rage building up in her, and Colin and Nina could feel the magic in the room rising.

"Fine, five points from Gryffindor for stupidity and lack of respect."

"Shut up, you stupid, rotten, woman-raping, Death Eater. Go back and kiss the feet of your sick, putrid, Half-blood leader. Maybe then your father will actually acknowledge you exist and stop beating your mother to death for being so stupid as to have a son like you. I'm at four, and-"

"SHUT UP!" Draco roared, stepping closer to her. His face was white with rage as his gray eyes became close to black. She just glared at him and quietly said, "Five."

All hell broke loose in the compartment as Ginny whipped out her wand and roared a hex at him. Draco blocked it and countered with a hex of his own while Colin and Nina shot a string of curses at Crabbe and Goyle to keep them from leaping at Ginny. One of the curses fired by Ginny hit the door of the compartment ahead of them, and it exploded. Shrieks from the compartment quickly caused others to open as people came to see what was wrong.

Ginny and Draco ignored all of this, launching curses and hexes and counter curses in rapid fire, all their focus on hurting the other person. Colin and Nina were busy trying to take cover, having immobilized Crabbe and Goyle. The whole time they dueled, Ginny and Draco flung insults at each other.

"You stupid bitch!" Draco roared as he deflected a nasty hex and sent back another one. It hit, but Ginny managed to cast one at him as well, and muttered the counter-curse. He yelled in pain as boils began sprouting all over his face and body.

"Now you're as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside. Go back to your deformed psychopath of a leader and shag your way farther into his good graces, you spineless piece of shit!" Ginny's face was wild with rage and concentration, and she barely had time to deflect the disarming spell he flung at her. Then, he said something that made her forget all about magic.

"You're a WHORE, Weasley! You probably make a living shagging every guy in sight, helping to keep your family together! No wonder Riley left your ass to start screwing another girl! Didn't want damaged goods!"

Ginny froze, and in that instant the Bat Bogeys that she had become famous for producing suddenly disintegrated in a burst of flame. Her wand dropped from suddenly lifeless fingers, and Draco's face went from one of triumph to a cold mask in one second, showing that he was trying to hide his emotions. Before he could think, his wand had been thrown out of his hands and a screaming mass of fury and red hair had flung at him.

They landed in the hallway with a thud, Ginny on top of Draco, screaming, biting, and punching him for all she was worth.. The surprise attack cost Draco dearly for a few precious seconds, and he had bruises and scratches on his face because of it. But instinct and years of training kicked in, and he began to fight back.

Everyone in the compartments around them just stood watching, unable to move at the sight of such fury and violence coming from two of the most deadly people at their school. Draco had the advantage of being trained in ways of defense his entire life, but Ginny had grown up the youngest with six older brothers whose idea of playing was wrestling matches on hard ground. Needless to say, it was a fight worth watching.

Draco managed to hit her while she kept trying to pummel him into oblivion, getting in a good hit on her cheek and moving one of his legs in a flipping maneuver. Finally, after much struggle to keep her off of him and get in as many hits of his own, he managed to flip them so he was on top of her. His weight gave him the advantage, and he effectively pinned her legs so she couldn't kick him where it hurt most. Grabbing both her hands in one of his wrists tight enough to bruise, he pinned them above her head and leaned closer to her.

She was struggling valiantly, glaring up at him with such fire and hatred that for a moment he forgot that they were fighting. But it came back when she turned her head and tried to bite his left arm, which was holding her wrists captive. Quickly, thankful for his Seeker reflexes, he moved out of her range and used his other hand to hold her face in place as he brought his face close to hers.

"Listen to me, you ungrateful little mudblood-loving wench. If we were not in school, you would be dead or unconscious right now. As it is, I will NOT tolerate anymore of this from you. If you value your life and your dignity you will stop struggling or I swear by the Dark Lord's name that I will make you. It won't be pretty, so you'd better listen to me." Draco finished his warning, face still close to hers. He could see the fire in her eyes, and her face was flushed, her breathing ragged. He imagined his was too, from all of the unexpected exercise he'd just gotten.

"Go to hell, Malfoy. If you don't get off of me right now, I'll show you the real reason why my brother's don't wrestle with me anymore," she ground out, not backing down in the least.

He snarled at her and looked like he wanted to hit her, but didn't. Seeing his hesitation, she taunted him.

"Go ahead, Malfoy. Show how manly you are, and don't hesitate to hit me. It'll give me all the ammo I need to kick your punk ass."

"I wouldn't be saying that," he said silkily, leaning close to her face, "when I'm the one on top. Tell me, do you prefer it that way, or do you like being the dominant one when you shag your customers?"

He pulled his face away as he felt her jerk, and suddenly spit was in his eyes. He let out a yell of pain and fury, jerking back at the sting in his eyes. It was the chance Ginny needed. Quickly biting his left wrist, she felt a rush of satisfaction at his cry of pain as he released her. She kicked him and rolled, scrambling to her feet as he wiped the spit from his eyes and stood up as well.

The students in the hallways knew at that point that they were ready to go at it again, this time even worse than before, and new that they would have a hard time stopping them. Then, the cavalry arrived.

Everyone in the compartments down the train froze for a few seconds at the sound of Ronald Weasley's voice echoing through the entire train. The people who hadn't been brought up to speed on what was going on now had a faint idea of what was happening when he let out his bellow.

"MALFOY, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SISTER OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL MAKE YOU WISH THAT YOU WERE A GIRL INSTEAD OF A GUY! MOVE YOUR ASS! **NOW**!"

Draco and Ginny froze in their places, bodies crouched and ready to attack one another. The look of rage on Ginny's face turned to one of anger and slight fear. With a glance that clearly told Draco to shut up or he'd be worse than dead, she turned to her brother.

Cringing inwardly, she knew that it was almost beyond the point of reason for him. His face was not red, it was completely white. The veins in his hands were standing out big time from his clenched fists, and he had a vein throbbing in his temple as well. The magic in the air was also causing tiny sparks to flit around the compartment sporadically. His eyes were narrowed so much that they looked like they were closed, and six people were behind him, ready to pounce on him to restrain him if necessary.

Taking in Hermione's looks of shock and horror, and Harry being in a similar state to Ron, Ginny said quietly, "Ronald, please stop bellowing. My ears are ringing right now, and if you don't calm down you're going to kill Malfoy and hurt a lot of other people. We can't really have that, since some of them are my friends, and I was the one trying to kill Malfoy in the first place. I really can't have you taking my rightful triumph, so please leave with me and we'll go calm down. If we don't, I think we'll end up breaking some windows and bodies."

People were looking back and forth between her and Ron in fear, knowing that if one Weasley Temper was this bad, two would be detrimental to everyone's health. Everyone breathed a collective sigh when Hermione stepped in and said, "Ron, Ginny's right. If we stay here, you chance getting expelled and going to Azkaban for murder. Let's just go back to the front and calm down. I also have to owl Professor Dumbledore about Ginny and Draco's . . . actions here." At that, she glared sternly at Ginny and loathingly at Draco.

Looking back at Draco once, Ginny silently contemplated the unfairness of it all. There he was, hair a mess, bite marks, bruises, cuts, and blood on his face and wrist, yet he still managed to cut an imposing, elegant, and (though she'd never admit it out loud) sexy figure. He looked at her once, having slightly recovered from all of the unexpected "exercise" of the past few minutes, and nodded coldly. His eyes promised revenge, though, and her parting look promised that she would be ready and waiting. Then, she walked towards Ron, Harry, and Hermione. People parted before her, and before she left the hallway, she turned and looked back at Draco.

"You might want to revive Crabbe and Goyle. I believe they'll be quite interested in hearing how you got your ass kicked by a mudblood-loving girl." Then, without a backwards look, she strode out of the hallway elegantly, glaring at anyone in her path.

"Well," Nina muttered to Colin as people began talking quietly, still aware that Draco was around, "that was an interesting way to start the year."

"Yeah, not even at school yet, and already Ginny's managed to humiliate Malfoy and get in trouble. Fred and George would be proud," Colin said back.

They smiled at each other, then headed in the direction their friend had just taken.

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By the time Ginny explained what had happened and succeeded in calming down Ron and Harry, the whole train was gossiping about what had happened. Ginny, who was now able to think clearly, was bemoaning her (in her mind) assured expulsion and the shame this would bring upon her family. Hermione had owled a long letter to Dumbledore, which she had recorded while Ginny was telling what had happened. Now, they all sat in a compartment, along with Nina and Colin, waiting to see what Dumbledore's reply would be.

The silence in the compartment after Ginny had told her tale was only broken by soft coughs or the sound of someone fidgeting. No one wanted to start talking for fear that Ron or Ginny might snap at them. They'd had an enormously loud row after her confession, but luckily Hermione had used the most powerful silencing charm she knew, so no one outside could hear them. The other people in the compartment, however, held a new respect for Ginny and Ron, and a much bigger fear of the infamous Weasley Temper.

Finally, the silence was broken by the sound of an owl tapping on the window. Ginny scrambled to open it, and the owl swooped in and dropped a letter on the seat next to her. Then, it swooped out again, another letter still attached to its leg. No one noticed, though. They were all staring at the letter.

It wasn't the normal envelope color, but it wasn't a howler, either. The only time anyone would have gladly opened a howler was when they received a letter in a black envelope. This color either signified the death of someone in the letter, or the sender was deeply furious and the punishment would be severe. Trembling, Ginny picked it up and quickly opened it.

Dumbledore's voice, calm, but with a sharp bite of fury, filled the room. It wasn't screaming, but the sense of anger was no less apparent.

"_Ginevra Weasley, I would have expected more from you. Dueling with wands, and _then_ with fists, is unacceptable, especially on the Hogwarts Train. You and Mr. Malfoy have greatly dishonored your school, your Houses, and your families. But mostly you have dishonored yourselves. You will not be attending the Welcome Feast this evening. Meet me in my office as soon as you get off the train, or you will be expelled. And no, if you're wondering, your punishment is not expulsion. But if you do something like this again, it will be. I trust you will cooperate with these terms."_

His voice stopped for a moment, then said, _"Oh yes, and the password in 'Blue Crystal Crunchies'."_ Then his voice was gone, and the letter disappeared.

For a few seconds, the occupants were completely silent. Then, in an attempt at cheerfulness that even he knew was pathetic, Harry said, "Well, at least you aren't expelled."

Chuckling dryly, Ginny said, "Thanks for the silver lining, Harry. But according to Dumbledore, if I step out of line again I will be, so I really don't want to think of what my punishment is going to be."

"He can't be too hard on you, Gin," Nina reassured. "After all, you did do something that everyone in the school has wanted to do at one point or another for the past, oh, seven years."

Everyone laughed a little, and Ginny managed a small smile. Ron walked over to her and gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. "It'll be okay, Gin," he said. "As long as you're not getting expelled, there's nothing Dumbledore can give you that you won't be able to get past."

Ginny nodded thanks, even though she had a feeling in her stomach that he had spoken too soon.

Before she could open her mouth to say anything, though, the train whistle blew, and she groaned. Through all the commotion, she had forgotten to put on her robes. Looking over at Nina and Colin, who were grinning at her, she mouthed 'don't say a word.' They had changed into theirs before the fight, and she'd put it off so she could have some more time wearing the cool clothes Nina had gotten her. Now, she was going to be facing her headmaster, and probably her head of House, looking like a 'hoochie-mama' as Colin had called her.

"Great," she muttered, "just great." Then, she headed towards the doors to face her destiny, however dark it was going to be from that point on.


End file.
